Two sisters…freed by verbs.

Doubling Up: Reflecting on BREAK and ARRANGE

Regarding #VOWbreak:

Sometimes when I go into autopilot, I wind up moving way too fast. Too fast to really collect my thoughts. Too fast to think everything through. Too fast to give something a real chance. The momentum carries, carries me. And when I suddenly realize my speed, I try to BREAK quickly to slow myself down but not so hard as to spin out.

We’re hiring a second Investigator at work to share my caseload. My boss and I were cruising through the (extremely long) hiring process that defines higher ed. A process that lasts at least three or four months start-to-finish for a quick hire. We both really want and need that extra body but it turns out we rushed too quickly. Three candidates have come and gone, and we’re no closer to identifying a person we believe can elevate to the job.

We found ourselves a little lost. Do we keep trudging down the path knowing that the route may end up taking us the long way round (or to an entirely different destination)? Or do we pause, evaluate our options, orient ourselves on the path we’re on.

Sometimes stopping feels like wasted time. But when looking back in hindsight, you realize that you saved yourself a lot of heartache by recognizing the sunk cost fallacy — don’t keep investing time (energy, resources) into a failing venture just because you’re in it too deep.

This week we’ll have a bit better perspective about which route is the best one for us to take.

Regarding #VOWarrange:

This has been one of the most fun VOWs in recent memory, mostly because my Type A++ personality got to plan out a regimented schedule for my parent’s weekend visit. Mom and Step-Dad came to Bham for the first time and we followed the tried-and-true pattern of showing off a new place by heavily featuring the food and cocktail scene.

It was fun to show off my new town to people I love. I got to nerd out and celebrate with a small group of people I love. It may not have been much time but we made the most of it.

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the vow venture

51 verbs in 52 weeks; this was our venture in 2017.

In 2018, we have opted for 12 verbs in 12 months.

We have also, once again, chosen a single verb for the entirety of the year, our #OneWord; Our goal is to spend the year reflecting and putting this verb into practice. In 2017, for Lin, it was EMBRACE; for Steph, it was BUILD.

In 2018, for Lin, it is EXPAND; for Stephanie, it is NARROW.

Completely unplanned, we chose antonyms (opposites) of each other for our words this year, so we decided to keep that theme in mind for the 12 verbs we would encounter in 2018. We randomly selected six verbs and then chose antonyms for them. For example, in January 2018, we will CHARGE; in February, we will FREEZE.

The purpose of the VOW Venture is simple and remains unchanged: to live more intentionally aided by our favorite part of speech.